Rainwater Harvesting: market analysis

Analysis of Rainwater Harvesting Market in Europe and India provides an in-depth analysis of the rainwater harvesting (RWH) market in Europe and India. This research service analyses the revenues generated by the installation of rainwater harvestings systems in residential, industrial and commercial end-user segments.

Industrialisation and a growing population have given rise to a severe fresh water shortage in many countries. RWH, which involves the collection and storage of rainwater, is an affordable and sustainable solution to this problem.

Although RWH has been practiced for several years, it is only in recent years that countries have given it a serious thought with several passing legislations and offering incentives to promote the concept. A significant driver for the RWH market in India has been the state level legislations that have made RWH mandatory for all new buildings in certain states.

The key driver in Europe has been the steep water prices with several European countries topping the global water tariff list.

Majority of the states in India have passed legislations making the installation of RWH systems in all buildings mandatory. The state of Tamil Nadu was among the first to take this initiative and has witnessed considerable success.

In Europe, countries, such as Denmark and Germany have the highest water tariffs in the world. In addition to the legislations and high water tariffs, certain countries also offer incentives to promote the concept of rainwater harvesting. These initiatives have resulted in significant growth in Europe and several other countries, such as the United Kingdom and France. These are expected to help double-digit growth in the coming years.

However, it has been a challenge to create awareness about the benefits of RWH, declining the level of implementation and thereby, restraining growth in the RWH market in Europe and India. Furthermore, the RWH systems used in India are conventional in their design, involving tedious installation procedures and regular maintenance – an area of concern for the end users. [Note: Water Rhapsody’s Grand Opus is a Rainwater Harvesting System that provides an uninterrupted pressurized water supply that only requires quarterly re-pressurization – a very simple 2-minute process]

In India, water is offered to the general public at a subsidised rate by the government and the water tariffs are relatively low compared to developed nations. There is minimal interest among the general public towards rainwater harvesting as it is more economical to buy the water from the government than incur the costs of installing a RWH system.

The RWH system suppliers need to come up with a unique design that is simple to install, without much civil work and easy to clean. Apart from the government and NGOs, equipment suppliers should also play a key role in creating awareness among the public, especially amongst children, about the importance and the benefits of practicing RWH.